I used to work just behind Imperial, at the Royal College of Music. It was ok - I was doing admin for the Directoriat, so it was interesting to be exposed to the very highest levels of that organisation. Lower down the food chain there were some fun people too - we used to occassionally go drinking in this underground bar thing in Imperial in fact.

I also encountered some Imperial staff when I had to book car-parking spaces. They were not especially friendly or helpful, I seem to recall.

The bar was apparently legendary and won awards for being the best social club in London. I didn't work on the main site at Imperial (I was in Hammersmith) and I had been working for the College for about three years when I heard about it, courtesy of a piece in the London Drinker about it winning one of aforesaid awards.

On enquiring at the main campus, it transpired that the College were closing the bar immediately.

Legendary!? Mm, I liked it enough but for me it wasn't up there in the promised lands of perfect pubs . . .

On the other hand I guess there was not much competition in the area - although there was one nice pub in a mews nearby. Its main problem was that it sometimes overflowed with students, eg end of term.